--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The old man took out an extraordinarily…" description: "\"“The old man took out an extraordinarily beautiful and elegant handkerchief and gave it to her to dry her tears. It was the sort of handkerchief that o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1c/jesse-ball-10640_handkerchief_the-old-man-took-out-an-extraordinarily_2687901.jpg" --- # The old man took out an extraordinarily beautiful and… ![“The old man took out an extraordinarily beautiful and elegant handkerchief and gave it to her to dry her tears. It was the sort of handkerchief that one might be content to be judged by if it was all that remained of one after one's death.” quote by Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1c/jesse-ball-10640_handkerchief_the-old-man-took-out-an-extraordinarily_2687901.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1c/jesse-ball-10640_handkerchief_the-old-man-took-out-an-extraordinarily_2687901.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1c/jesse-ball-10640_handkerchief_the-old-man-took-out-an-extraordinarily_2687901.jpg) > ““The old man took out an extraordinarily beautiful and elegant handkerchief and gave it to her to dry her tears. It was the sort of handkerchief that one might be content to be judged by if it was all that remained of one after one's death.”” [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A beautiful handkerchief is offered to dry tears, representing a small, cherished comfort that may be all that remains after death. **In simple terms:** A small comfort can be the lasting legacy. Key Takeaway Value simple gestures. Themes comfort legacy death Mood somber hopeful Type literary emotional When to use this quote - funeral rites - comforting the grieving - memorial gifts Key Concepts symbolism empathy Questions to Reflect On - What simple acts can become lasting memories? - How do we honor the departed meaning? A Different Perspective May be seen as sentimental. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Elegant Handkerchief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elegant-handkerchief-2633472/) [Handkerchief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handkerchief/) [Handkerchief Content](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handkerchief-content-2633473/) [Handkerchief Gave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handkerchief-gave-1230448/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) ## Related quotes > [“I still have your handkerchief, from the Yuletide." "Raspberries, do you really?" He produced a crumpled, clean handkerchief, and gave it to Azalea. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/i-still-have-your-handkerchief-from-the-yuletide-raspberries-do-you/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [In his holy flirtation with the world, God occasionally drops a handkerchief. These handkerchiefs are called saints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-his-holy-flirtation-with-the-world-god-occasionally-drops-a/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [You might be a redneck if your handkerchief doubles as your shirt sleeve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/you-might-be-a-redneck-if-your-handkerchief-doubles-as-your-shirt/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [“As one puts a handkerchief before pent-in-breath- no: as one presses it against a wound out of which the whole of life, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/as-one-puts-a-handkerchief-before-pent-in-breath-no-as-one-presses-it/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [“And most conveniently she leaves her handkerchief behind!” said Poirot. “Exactly as it happens in the books and on the films—and to make things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/and-most-conveniently-she-leaves-her-handkerchief-behind-said-poirot/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [Before computers, you'd start designing using shapes of cubes. Now I can start with something like a handkerchief, an object that doesn't have strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-lynn/before-computers-you-d-start-designing-using-shapes-of-cubes-now-i/) [Greg Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-lynn/) > [The invention of basketball was not an accident. It was developed to meet a need. Those boys simply would not play 'Drop the Handkerchief.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-naismith/the-invention-of-basketball-was-not-an-accident-it-was-developed-to/) [James Naismith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-naismith/) > [“My darling, you're such a child. You think that by saying, "I'm sorry," all the past can be corrected. Here, take my handkerchief. Never,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/my-darling-you-re-such-a-child-you-think-that-by-saying-i-m-sorry-all/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“These stories had intrigued her with their strange mix of violence and love, so unlike the distant, passionless affection of her own mother. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/these-stories-had-intrigued-her-with-their-strange-mix-of-violence/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [Always carry a handkerchief. Especially in television studios.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/always-carry-a-handkerchief-especially-in-television-studios/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [“I kissed him lightly and used the moment to slip the package out of the inside of his pocket. I was a white handkerchief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyxandra-harvey/i-kissed-him-lightly-and-used-the-moment-to-slip-the-package-out-of/) [Alyxandra Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyxandra-harvey/) > [A cat determined not to be found can fold itself up like a pocket handkerchief if it wants to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-j-camuti/a-cat-determined-not-to-be-found-can-fold-itself-up-like-a-pocket/) [Louis J. Camuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-j-camuti/) > [“A blanket could be used as a sail for my self-esteem when I’m floating upstream on the turbulent river of my subconscious. Some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-blanket-could-be-used-as-a-sail-for-my-self-esteem-when-i-m/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“While still practising law, he'd run a hearse-rental agency. Then, later, he'd bought into a handkerchief factory in Baker Park. Their most famous innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/while-still-practising-law-he-d-run-a-hearse-rental-agency-then-later/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [Before we can wave the handkerchief, we have to have a cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-dangoor/before-we-can-wave-the-handkerchief-we-have-to-have-a-cold/) [Robert D Dangoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-dangoor/) ## More by Jesse Ball > [“-Lara is a weasel. I've always hated her. The only happy week I had as a child was when she fell from the roof…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/lara-is-a-weasel-i-ve-always-hated-her-the-only-happy-week-i-had-as-a/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [I'd say writing is easier for me now than it once was, but I do less of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/i-d-say-writing-is-easier-for-me-now-than-it-once-was-but-i-do-less/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [“Our knowledge about ourselves is our least reliable knowledge. Yet, so thoroughly do we ordinarily champion our own cause that it is acknowledged effective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/our-knowledge-about-ourselves-is-our-least-reliable-knowledge-yet-so/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [Not that believing such things has anything to do with whether they are true. You see that, don't you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/not-that-believing-such-things-has-anything-to-do-with-whether-they/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [“We are born in this cemetery, but must not despair. -Piet Soron, 1847”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/we-are-born-in-this-cemetery-but-must-not-despair-piet-soron-1847/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [I have a different purpose in writing each novel. Some of them seem more similar than others, but the purposes are always different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/i-have-a-different-purpose-in-writing-each-novel-some-of-them-seem/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [Americans are genuinely and profoundly anti-intellectual. They are especially so in their pleasure-seeking, which is epically banal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/americans-are-genuinely-and-profoundly-anti-intellectual-they-are/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [Sunday was always the best of days for being the self you had intended to be, but were not, for one reason or another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/sunday-was-always-the-best-of-days-for-being-the-self-you-had/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [I don't think anything needs to happen in a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/i-don-t-think-anything-needs-to-happen-in-a-book/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [“Can you imagine? That you can say something, offhand, and it can matter, it can really matter to someone else? Can you imagine what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/can-you-imagine-that-you-can-say-something-offhand-and-it-can-matter/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [One can't say how one behaved or why, really. Such situations, they are far more complex than any either/or proposition. It is simplistic to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/one-can-t-say-how-one-behaved-or-why-really-such-situations-they-are/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [“One cultivates one's life, one's friends, one's means, one's hopes. One goes from place to place, from triumph to triumph, in search of ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/one-cultivates-one-s-life-one-s-friends-one-s-means-one-s-hopes-one/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [“The whole thing about people living on in memory is a crock of shit. The best you can do is try to remember what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/the-whole-thing-about-people-living-on-in-memory-is-a-crock-of-shit/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [That would be the death of anyone - to recognize false hopes with a certainty. One mustn't know that. If it is offered, refuse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/that-would-be-the-death-of-anyone-to-recognize-false-hopes-with-a/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [I believe in discovering the love that exists and then trying to understand it. Not to invent a love and try to make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/i-believe-in-discovering-the-love-that-exists-and-then-trying-to/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) [Explore all 63 Jesse Ball quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) ## More Handkerchief quotes > [Before we can wave the handkerchief, we have to have a cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-dangoor/before-we-can-wave-the-handkerchief-we-have-to-have-a-cold/) [Robert D Dangoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-dangoor/) > [“While still practising law, he'd run a hearse-rental agency. Then, later, he'd bought into a handkerchief factory in Baker Park. Their most famous innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/while-still-practising-law-he-d-run-a-hearse-rental-agency-then-later/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“A blanket could be used as a sail for my self-esteem when I’m floating upstream on the turbulent river of my subconscious. Some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-blanket-could-be-used-as-a-sail-for-my-self-esteem-when-i-m/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [A cat determined not to be found can fold itself up like a pocket handkerchief if it wants to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-j-camuti/a-cat-determined-not-to-be-found-can-fold-itself-up-like-a-pocket/) [Louis J. Camuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-j-camuti/) > [“I kissed him lightly and used the moment to slip the package out of the inside of his pocket. I was a white handkerchief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyxandra-harvey/i-kissed-him-lightly-and-used-the-moment-to-slip-the-package-out-of/) [Alyxandra Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyxandra-harvey/) > [Always carry a handkerchief. Especially in television studios.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/always-carry-a-handkerchief-especially-in-television-studios/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [“These stories had intrigued her with their strange mix of violence and love, so unlike the distant, passionless affection of her own mother. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/these-stories-had-intrigued-her-with-their-strange-mix-of-violence/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“My darling, you're such a child. You think that by saying, "I'm sorry," all the past can be corrected. Here, take my handkerchief. Never,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/my-darling-you-re-such-a-child-you-think-that-by-saying-i-m-sorry-all/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [The invention of basketball was not an accident. It was developed to meet a need. Those boys simply would not play 'Drop the Handkerchief.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-naismith/the-invention-of-basketball-was-not-an-accident-it-was-developed-to/) [James Naismith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-naismith/) > [Before computers, you'd start designing using shapes of cubes. Now I can start with something like a handkerchief, an object that doesn't have strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-lynn/before-computers-you-d-start-designing-using-shapes-of-cubes-now-i/) [Greg Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-lynn/) > [“And most conveniently she leaves her handkerchief behind!” said Poirot. “Exactly as it happens in the books and on the films—and to make things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/and-most-conveniently-she-leaves-her-handkerchief-behind-said-poirot/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“As one puts a handkerchief before pent-in-breath- no: as one presses it against a wound out of which the whole of life, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/as-one-puts-a-handkerchief-before-pent-in-breath-no-as-one-presses-it/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [You might be a redneck if your handkerchief doubles as your shirt sleeve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/you-might-be-a-redneck-if-your-handkerchief-doubles-as-your-shirt/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [In his holy flirtation with the world, God occasionally drops a handkerchief. These handkerchiefs are called saints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-his-holy-flirtation-with-the-world-god-occasionally-drops-a/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [“He thought of these years as another life within the one he had. As though it were a thing he was able to carry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/he-thought-of-these-years-as-another-life-within-the-one-he-had-as/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) [Browse all 60 Handkerchief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handkerchief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The old man took out an extraordinarily beautiful and elegant handkerchief and gave it to her to dry her tears. 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